The Shadow's Eyes
by Merrily We Fall
Summary: "Logan Mitchell was a troubled kid from a troubled home.  That's why he ran away." That was the official statement. But Logan's friends think it's something much more... sinister.
1. Chapter 1

The moon shone down upon chilly Minnesota, wrapping the snow-covered landscape in an eerie, silvery glow. There was no light on that scene, no hope; there was only the whistling of the bitter wind through leafless trees and the biting air that seemed like it would kill any living thing that ventured forth into it. The untouched snow on the road gave the impression that the world that night really was empty; the seven billion souls living their lives out at that very moment didn't exist. The whole world was trapped in the lonely shadows, and even the streetlights didn't help. They just cast more shadows, more false promises of light.

The stars were the only pinpricks of _real_ light. They twinkled, dancing across the heavens like sparklers on the Fourth of July. It was their hope, their promise, that drew the girl out of her comfortable home. Even so, on a night such as that one, where invisible eyes seemed to watch every move one made, only the very brave or the very crazy were leaving their homes. But this girl… she was a bit of both.

Her name was Victoria Grace Baker, sixteen years old and a junior at Hemmingway Memorial High School. She was smart, cheerful, and kind, with a touch of mischievous rebellion and impish humor. Never afraid to make a fool of herself, she was definitely not popular, but she didn't care. She'd found her own true friends, ones who loved her (some, more than she knew) and ones who were just as willing to act insane.

To those who knew her, it was no surprise that she would have taken the chance to escape out into the wild, frosty night. However, any random person peeking out of their living room curtains would have wondered why the slim, pixyish girl with a hint of baby innocence still on her face was wandering in a night that even grown men were hesitant to venture out into.

If someone had asked her, she would have told them that she didn't know why she was out that night. It had just been a feeling, just a whisper of the barbaric beauty of the darkness calling to her. Not something one would like to explain to a stranger, but still, the truth.

Her gloved hands found their way to her pockets and she found herself wandering aimlessly in the park down the street from her house. Her boots made fresh impressions in the snow, and she smiled slightly to herself, kicking patterns into the icy, white blanket.

As she was in the midst of tracing "Tori wuz here," with her toe, her eye caught sight of something… someone. Her heart leapt in her chest, climbing to her throat quickly before she recognized the figure sitting on the bench, his head bent, raven hair dusted white with snowflakes sticking to the individual spikes.

* * *

><p>"Logan?"<p>

The soft voice caused his head to shoot up frantically, fear flashing in his deep brown eyes before recognition settled in, calming him down.

"Hey Tori," he sighed, looking back down at the snow.

She carefully walked over to her best friend and sat down beside him. "What're you doing out on a night like this?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. What about you?"

Her eyes twinkled a bit. "I dunno," she mumbled, imitating him.

The corner of his mouth twitched into a small smile. "I'll tell if you tell?"

"Alright. You first."

He looked back down at the ground again, and she glimpsed the dark circles under his eyes, looking almost like bruises in the darkness. "Home just seemed to suffocating," he sighed, kicking the snow at his feet with unnecessary force. "You?"

"The night just seemed so beautiful," she whispered as she stared up at the twinkling stars.

He glanced at her enraptured face, but quickly looked back down again when she lowered her head. "Oh."

"Yeah," she whispered, red rising to her cheeks though not from the cold.

A silence washed over the two of them, though not necessarily uncomfortable. Both teenagers were aware of the other one there, and making a conscious effort not to do anything silly, stupid, or excessively embarrassing. But at the same time, those two had done some rather silly, stupid, and excessively embarrassing things _together _in their lifetime, so there was comfort in that too. Still, there was something different that night, when the two of them were alone, not surrounded by any other friends or classmates. And it wasn't even just the fact that they were alone together. There had been plenty of sleepovers, plenty of play dates, plenty of alone time in the eleven years that they'd been friends.

But still… this was different somehow.

"Anything new?" Logan asked after a while, just to break the silence.

"Not really… not since I saw you at school seven hours ago. Or called you three hours ago. Or texted you one hour ago."

"It was a stupid…"

"Yup."

His mouth twitched into a small smile again, and he shivered against the wind, the thin shirt he had on not doing much to stop the chill.

"Hey," she whispered, unbuttoning her jacket. "You cold?"

"Nope," he lied. "And anyways, I'm the guy. Aren't the guys supposed to give the girls their coats?"

"Yeah, but…"

"I'm fine, Tora," he sighed, using his nickname for her. "Really…"

"Alright," she said, not believing him, though accepting his wishes.

Another silence. The same type as before: that uncomfortable comfort.

A phone buzzed, breaking the strange silence. Tori's fingers fumbled in her pocket, finally pulling out a battered blue cell phone, the artificial light from the screen seeming strange and out of place in the night air.

"That's my mom," she sighed. "She wants me back home, ASAP. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Wait!" the word slipped past his lips before he knew it. "Let me at least walk you back."

She smiled at the snow-covered ground. "Alright."

* * *

><p>Their walk home was much different than their time at the park. Back out under the streetlamps, they started to act like idiots again: goofy, funny, and just a little bit crazy. Tori spun around, trying to catch snowflakes in her mouth, though she spun out of control, crashing into Logan. Seeing as the two of them were already laughing their heads off from an earlier joke, they both fell to the ground, rolling on the freshly fallen snow, laughing maniacally. This incident seemed to repeat itself a few more times, so that, by the time they got to Tori's house, they were pink-cheeked, soaking wet, and absolutely covered in snow.<p>

"Thanks for walking me home," she said, eyes sparkling. "That was fun."

"Yeah," he grinned at her. "I-I'll be seeing you tomorrow then, right?"

"Yup," she smiled, biting her lower lip. "I'll see you tomorrow. School. All that."

"Right," he said. "Um… bye."

"Bye," she whispered as he gave her one last little wave before walking off.

She watched his the back of his dark shirt slowly fade out of sight in the darkness, staying outside even after he left her line of vision. It was only when her mom shouted at her to come inside that she sighed and opened the door.

She'd had a feeling. Just a feeling. But it had been like the one calling her outside, and there she'd found Logan. But feelings don't mean much, do they? They couldn't at all be relevant to what was going to happen next, right?

But she still couldn't shake the dread that enveloped her every thought.


	2. Chapter 2

**~One Year Later~**

A boy sat sullenly on an old, beaten table in the back of a middle school classroom. He was surrounded by lemonade, cookies, brownies, and some little tarts he didn't recognize, completely out of place with the refreshments and the crowd gathered there in that room with him. It was composed of parents, mostly moms, all of the "we-care-about-our-children-deeply-so-much-so-that-help-out-with-their-cub-scout-troop-or-school-events-and-end-up-completely-forgetting-about-them-because-we've-thrown-ourselves-into-so-many-activities" sort. The boy didn't approve of them. He thought they were all hypocrites, every one of them. Especially because they were here instead of at home spending time with their "precious" children.

"Oh, isn't this dreadful?" one of the mothers chimed, sounding like a stuck-up "popular girl" refusing to dance at prom because it wasn't "cool."

"Completely!" her friend sighed, just as soullessly.

_This is exactly what I don't want to become_, the boy thought, shaking his head to get the blonde mop of hair out of his face. _Some ninny headed asshole, trapped in a perpetual high school. Someday, I'll be out of this fucking small town. And they'll be trapped in their cycle of high school… and acting like they're still in it._

"At least we have refreshments."

"And we'll be able to socialize later! That will be fun!"

"This meeting is against child abuse, you fucktard," the boy muttered. "That's fun!" he mimicked in a high pitched voice, too quietly for them to hear.

The slight buzzing in the room stopped as the Principal stepped into the room, followed by some members of the town board.

"Hello you all," the Principal said gravely. "I trust you all know the purpose of this meeting. It's to help protect our children and…"

The boy snorted, just loudly enough for the entire room to hear.

All eyes turned to him, sitting there in the back, jauntily leaning up against the refreshments table, half sitting. His green eyes pierced through the crowd, his face just dripping with scorn and derision.

"Mr. Knight," the Principal frowned. "Is there something you'd like to say?"

"Oh no, Mr. Landry," the boy said with faux enthusiasm. "Continue with your _riveting_ speech. You _just_ can't stop now! _Please_, continue!"

Mr. Landry glared at him, but didn't say anything more since, technically, it was a public meeting, and anyone could speak their mind if they pleased.

"Alright," he sighed. "Anyways, you all know about the events that occurred last year. Sixteen year old, Logan Mitchell, the victim of an unfortunate home situation…"

"Cough, cough, CHILD ABUSE, cough, cough. That you don't like to mention, cough, cough, because his drunkard father, cough, cough, was a, cough, cough, member of the school committee, cough, cough, asshole… cough, cough," the boy coughed into his hand.

"Mr. Knight!"

"Sorry, I have a cold. Continue…"

Mr. Landry glared fiercely at the boy but didn't try to retort.

"I said continue!"

"Right," Mr. Landry sighed. "Anyways, about Logan Mitchell… we all know he ran away, because of…"

"Okay, now that we've gotten into the running away part," the boy said, hopping off of the table and striding confidently up to the front of the room. "That's what I'm here to talk about. You see…"

"Good god, Kendall Knight, would you just give it a rest!" Mr. Landry shouted. "Logan Mitchell was a troubled kid from a troubled home… that's why he ran away!"

"Logan wouldn't have run away," Kendall growled. "He was one of my best friends. He told me _everything_. He would have told me anything drastic he was planning. He would have asked me to come with him. I would have _known _something!"

"I guess you didn't know your best friend as well as you thought," Mr. Landry glared. "Now get out of the school."

"It's a public meeting! It's a public school! I can be here if I want!"

"Not if you're suspended for a week. GET OUT!"

* * *

><p>"You know, you didn't have to be such an asshole about it," Tori Baker sensibly said to Kendall as she tinkered around on her computer. "Now, if you're going to steal my bed like that, take off your shoes."<p>

Kendall sighed angrily, kicking off his muddy shoes onto her carpet before burying his face in a pillow. "How do you do it?" he asked, his words muffled.

"Excuse me?"

"How do you do it?" he asked, turning his head so that he could speak more clearly. "Not get suspended _all the fucking time_!"

"I don't act like a complete bad-boy, asshole. Now keep the language down or my parents will kill you."

Kendall groaned again, burying his head in the fluffy down pillow. "I hate this."

"What? Speak up. Pillow mufflage."

"I hate this!" he shouted. "I hate… he didn't run away Tori!"

"I know."

"He wouldn't have! He would have told me if he was planning anything! He told me everything! He told me about his dad, he told me everything… he would have told me!"

"Geez Kendall, I already said I know."

"How can you be so calm about it!"

_She had her nightmare again. The one that came to her nearly every night, causing her to wake up in a tear-soaked pillow, sobbing like the world was ending. But she could never remember what it was. When she woke up, the dream was a distant memory. She didn't even know if it was really a nightmare. But then, why else would she be crying?_

She shrugged. "Practice."

Kendall was silent for a long time, his blonde head still buried in the pillow.

"You breathing?"

"I just can't believe that he's been gone for a year," he whispered. "Just… a whole year."

Tori sighed. "I know," she said in a small voice. "Sometimes it feels like a second. Sometimes, it seems like a thousand years."

"Deep. Poetic. Keep that crap to your AP classes."

"Ahh, you're just jelly that we nerds have more fun."

"First off… jelly? Really? And secondly, no. I'm not jealous. I'm pissed off at the world, and I just want to sleep."

"Then get to your own house and sleep!"

"I'm too lazy!" Kendall whined. "And my mom is gonna kill me for getting suspended again! Please, can I just stay here? Your parents love me! I'm your badass, bad boy, best friend! Like your personal body guard in bestie form!"

"Are you convincing me or my parents?"

"You… come on! Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…"

"Fine!"

"YES!"

"But you're sleeping on the floor."

"Fine…"

* * *

><p><em>Logan's face flashed across her line of vision. The way he was when she'd last seen him. Smiling, cold, pink-cheeked, and <em>happy. _He was happy. _

"_Thanks for walking me home," she said, eyes sparkling. "That was fun."_

"_Yeah," he grinned at her. "I-I'll be seeing you tomorrow then, right?"_

_He meant to come back. He said he'd see her tomorrow. But the only thing that tomorrow had brought was the news that he was missing. Gone. Run off. _

_At least, that's what they said. She didn't believe it. She'd never believed it. _

_He'd meant to come back._

_He'd always meant to come back._

* * *

><p><em><em>Tori gasped, sitting up in her bed, tears streaming from her eyes. The dream was already fading from her mind, hazy images merely flashing across her brain before they were gone forever.

"Tori?" Kendall muttered sleepily from the floor. "What's wrong?"

"I just miss him," she whispered. "I just miss him so much."

Kendall hesitated for just a second. "Me too, Tori. Me too."


	3. Chapter 3

The basement of Tori's house was not the normal, dusty, moldy, cobwebbed concrete cavern that most people think of for a usual basement. In fact, it was far from it. Its white walls complemented the rug nicely, and the furniture down there was far from moldy, although definitely not in top condition. An air hockey table stood in one corner of the room, while a scratched pool table stood in the other. The whole room smelled a bit musty, but for the most part it was a comfortable hang out, and recreation spot.

But no one in Tori's family really used it anymore besides Tori. The TV had migrated up to the living room long before, and because of that, less and less people started going into the basement. Then, Tori, Logan, and Kendall had claimed it for their hangout spot, and it was "officially" off limits to the rest of the family. After Logan had disappeared, Kendall and Tori had turned it into their "headquarters" for the search for their best friend.

So that's why, when Kendall woke up, and found Tori's bed empty, he immediately went to the basement.

Tori was sitting at a table, head in her hands. Her brown hair fell over her face in waves, not straightened, like she usually wore it.

"Hey," Kendall sighed from the doorway. "Did you sleep at all last night?"

"After I woke up? No. By the way… you snore."

"I do not!"

"Do too," Tori laughed tiredly, the dark circles under her eyes showing up more prominently in the fluorescent lighting. "And loudly."

"Fine… we'll agree to disagree," Kendall pouted, knowing that she was probably right.

"Good."

There was silence between the two of them, as Kendall grabbed a chair and sat next to her. He looked at all of the dusty equipment they had spilled around them.

"We really don't know what we're doing, right?"

Tori shook her head.

An old map of the US was taped to the wall, red pins marking every critical spot in their investigation. At the moment, there were only two… one around their hometown, as the spot were Logan was last seen, and one in Alaska, because Kendall insisted that Logan liked Alaska. A cheap camera, disguised to look like a juice box, lay right near Kendall's elbow. They had tons of pictures of innocent bystanders, and one of Kendall absentmindedly picking his nose, but no hard evidence. Plastic spy kits, bought at Toys R Us and abandoned by Tori's brother Jared, littered the rest of the table. Cameras, motion sensors, and a watch/compass that still functioned as a compass (albeit one pointing east), and actually still told the time as well… though the time was always five hours off and no one could figure out how to set it.

"Look at all this," Tori whispered. "We're just kids. Kids playing with cheap toys and trying to save our friend. Kendall, we can't do this alone!"

"But how else can we do it?" Kendall sighed. "The police don't believe us, the Principal doesn't believe us… our parents don't believe us! Our friends don't believe us…"

"Carlos does," Tori pointed out. "Then again, he always was the most loyal person I knew… maybe he doesn't believe us, but he's sticking with us because we're his friends."

"You never really know about Carlos…" Kendall sighed. "He's… Carlos."

Tori giggled a bit. "That's the perfect way to put it…"

There was another silence between the two best friends.

"Can I just have a hug?" Tori whispered after a second, her face looking like she was about to just cry.

Kendall nodded and wrapped his arms around her, not saying a word. There weren't really any words to say.

* * *

><p>The next Monday, Tori was sitting in study, chatting animatedly with her two good friends, Megan and Dani. All three of them had homework to do, but it had fallen to the wayside in light of their conversation. It was an important conversation. One that had to do with matters of life and death.<p>

"I mean," Meg sighed. "If Zac Efron's abs were better than Taylor Lautner's… no, Dani! Taylor Lautner SO has the bigger abs!"

"I disagree!" Dani said. "You've just got to look at all the variables!"

"What variables! THEY'RE ABS!"

"I don't know! I heard that saying that would get you out of an argument."

"Well, it failed," Tori giggled. "Anyways, my vote is on neither Taylor Lautner or Zac Efron."

"BLASPHEMY!" Meg shouted.

"Who's it on then?" Dani asked, demanding to know.

"Uh… James Diamond, duh!" Tori said, pointing out the window.

Meg and Dani both spun around and turned to the window. "James Diamond," the sighed happily, with reverence usually reserved for god.

"I bet he does have the best abs," Meg giggled dreamily.

"Such eye candy," Dani blushed. "Too bad he's all older and everything… or I'd totally date him."

"He's only twenty five… that's seven years older than us! It could happen!" Meg blushed. "Oh man, I'd love to go out with him… H-O-T!"

"I heard he's a private detective…" Dani smiled. "That just makes a man so much more sexy…"

But Tori perked up at that last part. "A… private detective, huh?"

"Yeah," Dani giggled. "Why?"

"Oh… no reason…"

* * *

><p>"No," Kendall said, flatly. "No way. There is no way I'm asking James Diamond, certified chick magnet, to help us find Logan!"<p>

"Why not!" Tori whined. "He's perfect!"

"Why!"

"Because he's a private detective… and he has awesome abs…"

"THAT'S NOT A REASON!"

"YES IT IS!"

The two of them glared at each other.

"He's a private detective," Tori said in a wheedling tone. "A PRIVATE DETECTIVE!"

"I heard you the first time… and I still say no!"

"Oh, come on! I'd bet he'd even give us a discount since we go to school with his sister!"

"You mean Rose Diamond," Kendall snorted. "Oh my gosh, no. I don't want to have anything to do with_ her _or any member of her family!"

"Why? Rose is… nice."

"She's strange!"

"She's not that strange!"

"You just say that because she's in most of your classes," Kendall pouted. "You smart people… ugh, you all should be sent to a secluded island together so you can stop bothering the rest of the world. "

"That would leave you with no best friends… and I'd have Logan with me, HA!"

Kendall pouted. "Jerk…"

"Oh just admit I'm wonderful… that's why… I think… James Diamond… PERFECT!"

"You just like his abs," Kendall muttered.

"That's exactly why! Kendall! You are smart after all!"

"Jerk… AGAIN!"

Tori grinned. "Oh you know I'm right though… so, what do you say? James Diamond?"

Kendall took a deep breath and held it for three seconds as he thought. "Fine!" he eventually growled, letting out his breath in a rush. "We'll ask him to help us."

"YES!" Tori shouted, punching the air happily. "So, we'll talk to him tomorrow?"

"Sure," Kendall frowned. "Tomorrow…"


	4. Chapter 4

James Diamond loved his job. A lot. In what other setting would he be able to solve crimes, meet hot chicks, and yet be completely independent with his own job? He didn't have to follow the stuffy procedures of the police department, and yet he could work along the same lines. As it was, he never got any real crimes to solve… just missing/cheating husbands, parents asking him to spy on their kids, and (occasionally) the police department asking him to clean up after them. Still, most of the people who came to him were at least thirty years old, or even older. That's why, when, through the crack in his office door, he saw two high school kids walk up to his secretary, Kiki Larson, James Diamond got very curious.

"I'm sorry," Kiki sighed to the two kids. "But Mr. Diamond is not interested in any school fundraising activities.

"That's not what we're here for," the girl said, while the boy beside her scowled. "We need his help solving a case."

"Mr. Diamond isn't interested in high school cases… I'm sorry, kids," Kiki frowned. "His rules."

"This isn't a high school case!" the boy shouted, his green eyes filled with fury. "You think I'd come to a private detective with _high school drama_! What am I, stupid! No, lady… this is about a kidnapping! We have a real case for him!"

"Kidnapping? Well, have you called the police!"

"Yes! A billion times! But they don't believe us! They think he," the boys face twisted into a mask of sarcasm and scorn. "_Ran away_."

James walked out of his office, pretending like he hadn't heard anything. "Hey… what's going on here?"

"Um… these two kids seem to think they have a case for you," Kiki said.

"Can you pay for it?" James asked.

The boy rolled his eyes. "Of course his first question would be about money…" he muttered.

The girl elbowed him. "Yeah. Kendall here has a job, and I'll get one if you take the case."

"Alright… let me hear about this case, first."

"Okay," the girl took a deep breath. "Well, about a year ago, our friend, Logan Mitchell, went missing one night. The police seem to think he ran away, but we know he didn't. No one seems to believe us, but we _know _he wouldn't have run away. We need you to help us find out what happened to him. Or, if he really did run away, find him."

James nodded a few times before opening his mouth. "A year ago, huh? That may make the case harder…"

"Does that mean you won't be able to solve it?"

James grinned. "Oh, I'll be able to solve it. No doubt about that. Don't you worry, kids… I'll get your friend back. Now, to talk about money…"

The bell on the front door jingled, and a girl stepped inside. Her nose was buried in a book, so they couldn't really see her face, but even if the book hadn't been there, her long brown bangs would have hidden her face anyways. No one really ever saw Rose Diamond's face. It was always… hidden.

"Hey James," she said in a whispery voice. "Hey Kiki. And… oh, hey Tori!"

"Hey Rose!" Tori said cheerfully. "Did you do that English essay yet?"

"Yeah… it's complete crap, but I think she'll like it," the mouth behind the bangs lifted into a smile.

"She really does like it when we bullshit our essays," Tori mused. "Anyways… yeah. Have you met Kendall?"

Kendall muttered something intelligible, and Rose shook her head. "Not officially… hello Kendall."

Tori elbowed Kendall.

"Hey," he muttered.

James, meanwhile was watching the whole exchange with a smile. "You guys know my sister?"

"Yeah, we're in classes together," Tori grinned.

"Oh… well… DISCOUNT!"

"Wait… that means you'll take our case!" Tori screamed happily.

"Hang the case… HE'S GIVING US A DISCOUNT!" Kendall cheered.

"Yeah," James grinned. "Actually… you know… I like you kids. And the police chief just told me in a rather mean email that I'll never be able to solve a real case. So my ego is on the line here. In other words… major discount."

"How major?" Tori asked.

"Like… you pay for all the expenses and give me twenty bucks and that will be it, major," James smiled.

Tori quickly dug the money out of her wallet and handed it to him.

"Alrighty," James smirked. "Let's get searching then, shall we?"

* * *

><p>The next day, James decided to drop by the Principal's office before picking up Rose from school.<p>

"Hello," he said cheerfully to the secretary at the office. "I'm James Diamond… could I talk to Mr. Landry for a second?"

The secretary looked up at him. "What do you need to talk to him about?"

"Um…" James decided to fib the truth a bit. "You see, I'm Rose Diamond's older brother and legal guardian. She's a student here…"

"Ah, of course," the secretary grinned. "Come right inside. He can see you in a minute. He's just finishing up with a meeting right now."

"Alright," James said, sitting down on the hard, uncomfortable bench, ready to wait.

Less than five minutes earlier, a few men dressed in suits exited the room, chatting amicably amongst each other as they left. James recognized a few of them. George Parker, head of the school committee, Bruce Anderson, the police chief, and Karl Martins, a social worker, were amongst those there. As Officer Anderson passed James, he glared. James gave a polite wave in response. The two men didn't like each other. At all.

The last to leave the room was Principal Landry. He looked around quickly, and spotted James, putting a fake smile on his face. "James Diamond? Wow! The last time I saw you sitting on that bench, you'd just toilet papered Mrs. Kepp's whole classroom! Wow… how time flies! Are you here to talk about Rose? If so, you don't need to. She's an excellent student! In the top five percent of her class!"

"Uh… it's something… a bit different than Rose's academics," James replied, skirting the question. "Can I talk to you in private?"

"Of course," Mr. Landry said, general concern in his voice. "Come on into my office."

* * *

><p>"So," Mr. Landry said as he sat behind his desk. "What did you want to talk about?"<p>

"Actually… it's nothing about Rose," James sighed. "Sorry to have to imply that, but you wouldn't have seen me if I told you the truth."

Mr. Landry frowned. "Then what's the truth?"

"Well, as you may or may not know, I'm a private detective now," James grinned briefly. "And I just recently took a case about a boy who used to go here. A… Logan Mitchell?"

The Principal groaned, sitting back in his seat. "Please don't tell me that Victoria Baker and Kendall Knight put you up to this."

"Uh… yes. They did."

Mr. Landry shook his head. "Those two are delusional. Logan Mitchell was a troubled kid from a troubled home. I bet they didn't tell you about his dad, did they?"

James shook his head.

"It was a classic case of child abuse," Mr. Landry sighed. "Very tragic… the poor boy just couldn't take it any more and ran away."

"With all due respect, Mr. Landry," James said, a bit coolly. "I was hired to solve the case, not get told why I can't. So, if you wouldn't mind… could I look at Mr. Mitchell's file?"

Principal Landry froze, glaring at James. "Excuse me?" He looked at James, not as if he was a full adult, but as a naughty child sent to him for punishment. "You must know that's confidential."

"Is there anyway I can see his file?" James asked.

"Only if you get permission from one of his parents," Mr. Landry said. "They'd either have to come in her personally or give my secretary a call and _prove_ that's it's them."

"Alright," James said, standing up. "Thanks for your time."

"Where are you going now?" Mr. Landry asked James.

"To the Mitchells! To get permission!"


	5. Chapter 5

After giving Rose a call, telling her she'd have to walk home, James hopped in his car and began to drive to the Mitchell's house. He was a little afraid of what he'd find there, given what he'd just heard from Mr. Landry.

It was after he'd been driving for at least five minutes that he realized he didn't even know where the Mitchells lived, and he was just driving aimlessly in circles.

"Fuck," he swore at his own stupidity, pulling out his cell phone and flipping through the contacts quickly, looking for the number Victoria Baker had left him to call.

"Hello?" she answered quickly on the third ring. "Did you find anything yet?"

"Hold your horses, kid," James sighed. "Nothing yet. You've got to be patient, okay?"

"Alright… but why are you calling me!"

"I need you to tell me where the Mitchells live… do you know?"

"Why're you going there?" Tori asked carefully.

"Because they're his parents?"

"Oh… uh, there are some things you might want to know about his dad then…"

"I know. Mr. Landry told me."

"Oh…" Tori sighed. "Uh… do you think he ran away now?"

"I don't think, kid. It's part of the job. If I come up with a hypothesis before I get cold, hard facts, I'll start to fit the facts to my hypothesis, instead of making my hypothesis fit the facts. Sherlock Holmes."

"Oh… uh, cool," Tori said. "So, you okay with going there alone?"

"Yeah… why wouldn't I be?"

* * *

><p>James started to realize that he might have been <em>very <em>stupid to go to the Mitchells alone, when he turned a corner, and found himself driving on the worst street around. In a small town, people don't expect to find bad neighborhoods, but as any resident of a small town will tell you, villages have their druggie streets. Small towns have their bad roads. And mothers will _always_, no matter if they live in a city or a small town, tell their children about the roads to avoid. Hillside was one such road.

James carefully parked his car on the side of the road and stepped out. His car was so out of place amidst the rusty, lame excuses for automobiles that lined the road. He began to wish that his car was not painted bright red.

He gingerly walked up the front steps to the address he had been given, and rang the doorbell. As he waited for someone to answer the door, he looked around the shabby front yard. A small yellow flower had been carefully planted and watered right outside one of the windows. That gave him some hope.

The door creaked open and a cautious face peeked out. "H-hello?" the lady behind the door stammered.

"Hi," James said kindly, not wanting to scare her. "My name is James Diamond… are you Mrs. Mitchell?"

The lady nodded. "Y-yes… what do you want?"

"I'm here to see you about your son, Logan. You see, I'm a private detective, and I was put on the case of finding him."

Her face lit up in a bright smile. "Really? Oh, come in! Come in! I'm so sorry for being cautious… it's a bad neighborhood. Oh, yes, come on in!"

James, thoroughly comforted, walked through the front door.

The inside of the home was shabby, but clean. James sat on an old couch, springs digging into his back and a few stains on the worn fabric. He smiled politely at Mrs. Mitchell who sat down across from him on a cracked leather armchair.

"So, about Logan," James said. "How would you describe your son? The truth please. No parental embellishments."

"Logan was… brilliant," Mrs. Mitchell sighed. "And that's the truth. He was loyal to everyone he cared about. He was so friendly too… and made great friends. Two especially… Kendall Knight and Victoria Baker. They're both wonderful kids. The three of them were inseparable."

"They were the ones who put me on the case," James admitted.

Mrs. Mitchell smiled. "Of course they did. Like I said, those two are wonderful. They're not giving up on him, even still?"

James shook his head. "I don't think they ever will."

"Good." Mrs. Mitchell's smile grew even wider. "I knew there was something I always liked about the two of them… anyways, about Logan. He did have his shortcomings as well. He was very secretive. He never really told me anything, although he might have said some things to his friends. He could also get very angry at times. Not violent in his anger, but mouthy and sarcastic. He and his father always… clashed." Her eyes flickered to the ceiling above her, and she lowered her voice. "They didn't get along well at all."

"I see," James said. "I, uh… heard about that."

Mrs. Mitchell nodded her head, looking at the ground. "A-a lot of people have… the night Logan ran away, the two of them got into a horrible fight…"

"Mrs. Mitchell," James said carefully. "If I'm going to solve the case, I need to know exactly what happened."

Mr. Mitchell nodded. "I thought you would… I just hate telling the story so much. It's… painful. Well… I was in the kitchen, making dinner. Then, all of a sudden, I heard screaming coming from upstairs. It was horrible, louder than I'd ever heard. I peered out of the kitchen just in time to see my husband throw Logan down the stairs." Mrs. Mitchell winced. "Logan tried to get up quickly, but he was winded. My husband got to the bottom before Logan could get up."

James started to feel sick.

"He had a belt," Mrs. Mitchell whispered. "A-and just kept hitting him and screaming at him. Logan was curled up on the floor, trying to protect his head. I really thought my husband was going to kill Logan, and I tried to stop him. But he just shoved me aside and continued to beat my son." Tears came to Mrs. Mitchell's eyes. "A-and I couldn't stop him.

Luckily, Logan was able to kick out and hit his father in the shin. While his father was hopping around and swearing, Logan scrambled to his feet and was out the door and away before his father could do anything." Mrs. Mitchell took a deep breath. "And that's the last time I saw my son…"

"I'm so sorry," James whispered. "I really am… I'm so sorry…"

Mrs. Mitchell shrugged, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I-it's alright…"

"I have another question, and you don't have to answer this one," James whispered. "Why wasn't… Mr. Mitchell arrested?"

"He has connections," Mrs. Mitchell replied in a small voice. "To everyone…" her eyes flickered to the ceiling, where James assumed Mr. Mitchell was sleeping.

"Then why haven't you left him?"

"Like I said… he has connections," Mrs. Mitchell sighed. "I honestly wish I could."

"I'll help you," James spoke up quickly, rashly, without thinking. "I promise you, I'll help you get out of this."

"You don't have to do that…"

"I promise you," he whispered. "I will."

She nodded at him. "Thank you… now, is there anything else you'd like to talk about?"

"Just one thing… do you have any other children? In other words, did Logan have any brothers or sisters?"

Mrs. Mitchell nodded. "Yes. We have a younger daughter, Renee. She's still at school right now, since she's only in fifth grade, but she should be home very soon if you want to talk to her."

James shook his head. "That won't be necessary right now. But… were Logan and Renee close?"

"Oh yes!" Mrs. Mitchell shook her head emphatically. "Very close! He was so protective of her. If their father ever got mad at her, he'd take the beating."

"Alright," James nodded. "Thanks for telling me. I'll probably be back to ask you more questions later…"

Several things seemed to happen at once. A bright yellow school bus screeched to a stop outside the house, and a young, dark-haired girl ran up the front steps. At the same time, heavy footsteps from upstairs started making their way… downstairs…

James gulped.

The girl opened the door and ran inside, her backpack hanging from her thin frame. "Mom, I'm… she stopped short when she saw James in the living room. "Uh, hi?"

"Renee, this is James," Mrs. Mitchell said, casting a fearful glance towards the stairs, where the furious face of a man suddenly appeared. "He's…"

"Who's this?" the man asked in a seemingly calm voice, though James could hear the fury behind it.

"Uh, this is James Diamond," Mrs. Mitchell said quickly. "He's… going to search for Logan… needed to ask some questions…"

"Logan, huh," the man whispered. "You mean my good for nothing son, don't you?"

"He wasn't…"

From the top of the stairs, the man grabbed a lamp and hurled it at James. "YOU FUCKING SON-OF-A-BITCH!" he screamed. "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE THIS INSTANT, YOU FUCKING, NOSY, PRICK!"

James ducked just in time, the lamp shattering right where his head had been.

"GET OUT! GET OUT RIGHT NOW!"

"Just go," Mrs. Mitchell hissed at James. "Please, just go now!"

James nodded. "Before I go… can you stop by the high school and allow the principal to give me access to Logan's school records?"

Mrs. Mitchell nodded. "I will when I get groceries later, go!"

Without further ado, James ran out of the Mitchell's house with a bruised ego, porcelain shards in his hair, and a extremely churning stomach.


	6. Chapter 6

"Yeah, so that's what happened," James Diamond told his younger sister later that night. "Any theories yet, Rose?"

"I thought you always said that we should get some cold, hard facts before we make any theories," Rose muttered, her bangs finally brushed out of her eyes, revealing a slim, pale face with bright blue eyes.

"True," James sighed, stretching out to lay down on the couch he'd been sitting on. "And where did I get that from again?"

"Don't quiz me… I'm too good. Sherlock Holmes."

"Very good," he yawned. "Okay, let me rephrase my earlier question: what do you think about the case so far? No theories."

"I think I hate Mr. Mitchell," Rose frowned. "And I think that Tori and Kendall know a lot more that they're telling you."

"You think they're holding back on purpose?"

"No… I just think they might not realize that they have the secret to the investigation."

"Why do you think that?"

Rose shrugged. "Because they knew him best. And because they'd never willingly hold something back if they knew it would help find their friend."

James nodded slowly. "Alright… that's a good point. I'll question them next. But Rose… I must admit I'm getting scared for the poor Mitchell kid."

"Why?"

"Because he didn't run away," James sighed. "I know that for a fact."

"How?"

"Because big brothers don't leave their little sisters if they can help it," James whispered, looking at her. "Especially when they're all they have."

Rose gave a small, sad smile. "I guess that's a pretty good fact."

"The best one we have so far," James yawned. "Now, I'm gonna go get some Advil. I have a major headache. Be right back. Don't wait up for me, it's getting late."

"Okay," Rose sighed. "Drive safely."

James smiled at his sister. "Always do."

Then he walked out the door, and into the night.

* * *

><p>James's phone rang as he left the store, carrying a small bag containing a bottle of Advil and a few cents in change. He fumbled with it in his pocket for a bit before pulling it out and answering quickly.<p>

"Hello?" he said as he opened the door to his car.

"Mr. Diamond? It's Tori Baker."

"Oh, hey kid," he said, getting in the car. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to make sure you got out of the Mitchell's house alright."

"Yup. I did. Almost didn't! But I did."

She sighed. "You met his dad then."

"Oh yes… but I was able to talk to his mom. She, uh… told me the story."

"Oh," Tori whispered. "It's awful, isn't it?"

"You heard the whole story?"

"Yeah," she whispered. "When the police brought me in for questioning. I-I was the last one to see him, you know. Officially. They didn't mean for me to read the report, but the officer had it in front of him and I could read it because the light was shining through the paper. It was backwards, but I could still read it." She shuddered. "I already have a semi-photographic memory, but that… it was like it was burned in my brain or something. I still can't forget it."

"I'm guessing you didn't tell Kendall."

"Oh my gosh, no! He would have killed someone!"

"Yeah, I could see that happening," James sighed. "Alright, I've got to go. Talk to you later, kid."

"Okay… bye, Mr. Diamond."

"Bye."

* * *

><p>James hung up his phone and tossed it in the seat next to him, wrapped in his own silent reflections. Everything was turning out so much more complicated than when he'd first taken the case. He never expected it to turn out this complicated. He expected to talk to a few witnesses, pull a few files, and BAM! Find the kid living in Chicago or something. But it was nothing like that. Nothing like that at all.<p>

James pulled onto a secluded, country road: a shortcut back to his apartment. The road was nearly empty; the only other car on the road was one right behind him. They tailed him a bit closely, but he really didn't pay much attention.

He turned around a corner and that's when everything seemed to happen. The car behind him suddenly clicked their high beams on.

"What the fuck?" James swore. "Asshole." He honked his horn twice. "TURN OFF YOUR LIGHTS, ASSHOLE!" he shouted out the open window.

Another car came around the corner, passing from the opposite direction. They had their high beams on too, and James was blinded in the lights of the two passing cars. He threw a hand to block the beams from his eyes, still keeping one hand on the wheel.

Something bumped his car from behind and he lurched forward. It was the other car. He tried to speed up, to get away, but the car bumped him again.

"Oh my god," he whispered.

The car bumped him again, this time from the driver's side. James spun his wheel away to try and get away from them. He didn't think as he did this, otherwise, he would have remembered that roads don't stretch on forever. He would have remembered that country roads are thin and windy.

But he didn't. His front wheel hit the ditch on the side of the road, and from there, all was a blur to James Diamond. The world outside the windows spun around as the car flipped over and over, finally landing upside down in the field next to the road.

The two cars that had caused it only briefly slowed down to view the smoking damage before speeding up again.

Their job was done.


End file.
